


fragments of a lost shinobi

by greenishivy



Category: Naruto, One Piece
Genre: Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Crisis, Crossover, Difficult Decisions, Doctors, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Looking for beta reader, Sakura in situations she had no plan getting into, Time Skips, some - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:35:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26032774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenishivy/pseuds/greenishivy
Summary: -she has never felt so lost before-ORaccompany Haruno Sakura on her journey to find her place in a strange new world, again (not that she asked for any of this)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 58





	1. Arrival - Sakura's Island I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a face full of sand

-x-

A low hum surrounds her.

The rhythmic crashing of the waves almost makes her drift off again; sunrays warm on her face, a lazy breeze ruffles some stray locks.

The salty, humid air finally registered for the first time.

_But this … doesn't make sense._

This disconcerting thought pulls her right back from the brink of tranquility she's been teetering on.

Sakura blinked a few times to clear her vision and the crusted layer on her dry skin and clothes cracks and stretches unpleasantly with every motion.

The cloudless blue sky was bright. _Too bright_. A groan slipping past her chapped lips.

There are seagulls cawing somewhere in the distance. The humm doesn't subside.

She grimaced slightly, instantly regretting the use of the heels of her hands to rub at her strained eyes. Dried sand stuck to her palms, to pretty much anything touching the ground really and now her face, too. _Right. Beach. Lovely._ Her mind supplies in a sardonic drawl. Not helpful at all.

Sakura uses her elbows to prop herself up on the wet sand to get a better picture of her current location and almost couldn't swallow past the lump in her throat.

She feels icy cold dread clawing at her insides and prickling sharply right under her skin, her eyes frantically roaming her surroundings for a landmark or anything familiar.

The young woman wished the itchy grains tickling down on the inside of her neckline were currently her only problem.

After all, she had not been even remotely close to the open sea on her travels.

_-she has never felt so lost before-_

_-x-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll put possible trigger warnings in the notes as i go.  
> I needed to put this chapter out there or I'll just keep agonizing myself with my indecisiveness (or get sidetracked).  
> Inspired by all the existing Crossovers, but the last push I needed (that put the nail in the coffin) to really get started, was by 'Rose Rain 7' s (ffn.net) and her crossover 'the new pirate' i think.  
> I'm off with a rather basic start, but I actually have things planned (and half written drafts) - I've never been this prepared?? This is a novel experience y'all!   
> I have [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/greenishivy-nayuta)


	2. Playing the waiting game -Sakura's Island II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunburns and trying not to get stir-crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I haven't said it already : I don't own Naruto or One Piece.

-x-

Sakura _rarely_ forgets what she reads and learns.

Not being able to distinguish a notable amount of the plant life however, had been a worrisome fact from the get-go.  
 _Well, besides waking up on a tiny island surrounded by miles of water. Oh and! As if having no recollection of the how's or who's, was not ominous enough by all means._ She thinks dryly.

Haruno Sakura, trained by _the_ Senju Tsunade, war survivor, the unwavering driving force behind the project of proper medical education and health care after the war in all the Allied Nations _\- for fuck's sake-_ She's now the leading expert in most of the medical fields! And this Sakura. did. not. know. these. plants.

The implications of not being able to recognise something in her field of expertise leaves her reeling. It also pushes for a dismaying conclusion.  
Home was very far away. _'Not anywhere near the Elemental nations' far from home._ She distractedly grinds her heel on a patch of dirt.

It was something to be weary about.

-x-

 _I'll miss Ino's birthday._ The sad thought is unwelcome.

She diligently scribbles down notes on yet another herb she couldn't properly identify to her frustration.

Gently taking hold of the dark green stem with her gloved fingers, mindful it's serrated leaves. She moves her kunai close for another precise cut at its woody base and harshly shoves familiar light blue eyes out of her mind with the calming repetitive motion.

It's a relatively short trip to Suna so the Kazekage must have started an investigation by now, she rationalizes. She tries to ignore the painful squeeze in her chest.  
It's all a matter of time.

Glaring at the innocent stalk, as if it was the sole reason for her less than ideal predicament, isn't helping either. Warding off the uncertainty and sorrow got harder each day. They seem to enwrap her frame like a stifling second cloak these days.  
She plucks a leaf from another unharmed stem, rubs it between her fingers with a bit of pressure and sniffs at the now unfurling fresh scent.

Sakura's fallen into this pattern of documenting the various plants, collecting and drying them, and filling pages upon pages with the info she could deduce so far.

She firmly tries to smother the spark of professional excitement out of pure guilt. The researcher in her feels very much thrilled at the prospect of something new and undiscovered in her field of study.

That, and it helps keep her constantly working mind occupied. Keeps her from thinking about terrible alternatives, too. And at the same time it doesn't.

Despite everything, she had to be pragmatic.

While here, the young woman busies herself with manual tasks that had been ingrained and cultivated since the academy. Fishing, collecting edible plants, roots and berries, building some sort of shelter, a steady water source... basic survival in unfamiliar terrain.  
It calms her. She could do it in her sleep.

Sakura put a tight lid on the turmoil brewing inside of her for the unforeseeable future.

First, she had to survive.

-x-

A bit over two weeks pass by just like this.

-x-

 _Just a pile of wet sand, stupid rocks and a pitiful patch of green!_ She's restless, but mainly irritated because of the sunburns she keeps getting. It's already the fourth time today she had to heal burned red skin.

So ... maybe reshaping the rocky cliffside with a few well placed kicks and a mighty roar in a fit might be pointless in the grand scheme of things. But it _feels damn well refreshing!_

Her mood has been steadily dropping, as were her rations. She could probably manage to catch enough fish or some birds, but it isn't a good solution in the long run.

Her modest island didn't have any specific wildlife or decently sized game to be hunted. Nothing really worth setting up traps for at least.  
 _If… if they don't come soon I'll have to..._ she'll have to move on; leave the island.

It was a rather concerning endeavor in itself. She couldn't make out any land on the horizon by sight nor her enhanced sight.  
Of course, Sakura mulled over the option of leaving the island by foot.  
But it's risky and reckless to just walk out to the open sea without the slightest direction to go.  
The prospect of aimlessly wandering unknown waters, the next island or mainland not in sight …honestly doesn't sound all too alluring. She is not ready to seriously consider it just yet.

 _And by kami_ , she hadn't _imagined_ the huge moving shadow in the water! _Damn it!_

There were bigger things lurking beyond the water's surface. Maybe, in the end, there might not be a way around it but… she'll cross that bridge when she gets there.

So the option had been put aside for the moment.

She heaves a sigh. The rations last for a few more days, then she needs to find other means to get by.

_They'll be here by then, you'll see._

Rubbing at her nose with dirty knuckles, trying to stifle the bout of snuffles. She fiercely clings to this thought.

_They'll come._

_-x-_

_They didn't come._   
_Not then._   
_Nor years later._

_-x-_

One last push in the bark with the short blade is enough to close the circle. After carefully scraping out the left-over wood chips with the tip of her kunai she lets her fingers brush over the rough grooves of the all to familiar shapes. She takes a step back to get a better look and is pleased at her work.

The Haruno crest, scarcely crooked, is proudly embedded next to the 'Leaf' insignia of Konoha in the thick trunk. She lets out a small huff in satisfaction, tucking a tangled lock behind her ear.

_This will let them know I was here._

This, and the scroll she has wisely prepared and hidden. They'll find it with the placed hints without fail.

She'll make sure to get back here to check on it, wherever _'here'_ might be.

-x-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to cut this chapter into half because it just got longer.  
> So the island arc unfortunately gets another chapter after this. World building yada yada.  
> (̶d̶̶o̶̶n̶'̶t̶̶ ̶̶m̶̶i̶̶n̶̶d̶̶ ̶̶m̶̶e̶̶.̶̶ ̶̶i̶'̶v̶̶e̶̶ ̶̶j̶̶u̶̶s̶̶t̶̶ ̶̶b̶̶e̶̶e̶̶n̶̶ ̶̶a̶̶g̶̶o̶̶n̶̶i̶̶z̶̶i̶̶n̶̶g̶̶ ̶̶m̶̶y̶̶s̶̶e̶̶l̶̶f̶̶ ̶̶t̶̶h̶̶e̶̶ ̶̶w̶̶h̶̶o̶̶l̶̶e̶̶ ̶̶d̶̶a̶̶y̶̶.̶)  
> On the up side: I finally managed to put these snapshots into a working order. yay!  
> I don't get why i feel so proud for figuring this out, but i do.


	3. On her way to who knows where - Sakura's Island III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a way off and lonely nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when the little star * appears i would like you to listen to [Wellerman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KO7cofMJH0) by 'The Longest Johns' and then continue to listen to their other stuff :)

On her way to who knows where - Sakura’s Island III 

  
-x-

Sakura stops in her tracks and squints intensely against the glittering orange of the reflecting sea. Wispy clouds cast long shadowy streaks on the light evening sky.

By the time she finally catches what tipped her off in the first place, her eyes had started to prickle uncomfortably.

_Is … is that- ?_

Her gaze now purely locked on the bobbing dot on the horizon.

Within a heartbeat she had swiftly dropped everything and moved out of her crouch. 

Barely noticing the dull clatter of the logs in the warm sand with her heart pounding in her ears. The young woman blinks rapidly to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

And- _yes!_

_A ship._

A short bark of laughter bursts past her lips. A stupidly wide smile pulls at her cheeks and brightens her whole face. She’s not able nor really _wants_ to keep her mixed emotions of relief and joy under further wraps, because - _what were the chances?_

The young woman hastily wipes a tear away with the back of her hand. 

She makes quick work of packing and sealing the last of her belongings. It only takes a minute, having planned to leave the island the following morning anyway.

She smoothly lands onto the water's surface with a light splash and another joyous laugh, and speeds right towards the moving vessel in the distance.

No time to waste.

Her feet and shins were instantly wet by the rolling waves at the surf. Stray droplets hit her face when her legs kicked through the flapping waters. 

But it didn’t matter. Worse yet is the darkness of night time licking at her heels. 

The waning sun at her back is already dipping dangerously low. It wouldn’t be much longer until the sparse light of dusk set in.

And Sakura wasn’t interested in aimlessly wandering the endless sea at the dead of the night - _thank you very much._

-x-

A relieved breath escapes her when she finally gets close enough to the ship. Dusk was no more and darkness has settled a while back.

 _It's a merchant ship_ , she notes with a jump over another wave.

It’s elaborate designs stand out to her, not having seen anything quite as comparable on all her travels before.

In the dim glow of the decks she was able to make out finely crafted handrails and a beautiful figurehead. Carvings of floral patterns with incorporated gold accentuates already give her a good idea of the owners considerable wealth.

Her eyes rove over the graceful wooden figurine of a woman in loose, windswept garments in the faint light. Her torso is seemingly emerging from the wooden hull. Reaching out with an elegant hand but is forever frozen in time. 

One more leap and she had put the last stretch behind her. She is also quite done with the sensation of her wet cloak slapping at her heels with every step. 

Above her, the sound of creaking of floorboards and the soft murmurs of sailors could be heard. She quietly scales the ship's side without struggle, to peer over the edge at the main deck. The flickering light of the lamps give her a good enough view of the main deck.

-x-

The ship is, fortunately, well-stocked. Thanks to this she gets away with frequently scavenging the kitchen or pantry for something to eat. So far she keeps skillfully evading or out of plain sight.

While aboard the ship, Sakura makes sure to glean anything useful from the idle chitchat of the sailors as they work. Occasionally, they threw around outlandish terms like _Grand Line, World government, East Blue, Devil Fruits, Sea Kings;_ she’s never heard of them before. Especially, _‘marine’_ and _‘pirates’_ dedicated a lot of hushed whispers.

But right now, they mean very little to her. Nevertheless, she files them away in her mind for a later time.

Although, the more concerning issue is that there is absolutely nothing mentioned about the elemental nations.

And she worries.

-x-

It’s her second evening sneaking around on the ship as a stowaway, and Sakura already figured something is amiss. 

She could see the growing stress in stiff shoulders and shifty, blood-shot eyes of the crew. They’re getting much more irritable, too. Some can’t find rest at all. Staying up well into the early morning hours to stare warily into the night, keeping watch. _Waiting for an ambush?_

So far though, she got nothing specific. Well, until she hears a sailor finally snap, that is. 

Sakura gets curious with the anger in the raised voice. 

Over the noise of the wind and sloshing waves, it was hard to make out much of what was said. Annoyed, she clicks her tongue and scrunches up her eyebrows in concentration.

Of course, she isn’t going to just get back to her little make-shift camp now, like she had meant to. Instead, she decides to investigate, not wanting to let this opportunity slide.

A lot of the crew members are still dawdling in the galley from the racket of clicking bottles and loud chatter. 

Most of the men try to avoid the chilly drizzle on the outside for as long as possible. Merely a handful chose to linger on the other end of the ship, nursing their drinks in the quiet of the night.

Sakura can’t really hold it against them, she thinks with a slight shiver. 

The door to the captain’s quarters hasn’t been opened since he’d retired two hours ago, she notes. Only the navigator had left shortly after.

Sakura stealthily ducks down behind some crates and slinks closer to the heated exchange. 

From her elevated position she can survey most of the vacated main deck. The two sailors scrubbing at the floorboards by the railings are now in plain view.

The agitated man looks like he’s close to popping a vessel, she muses. 

“It’s always ‘bout the damn fuckin’ nobles,” seethes the burly man. “And if it’s not _them,_ it’s the thrice damned money!

The unease of the lanky companion with his back turned to her was almost palpable. Arms close to his rigid body, and tense shoulders almost up to his ears. His twitchy fingers kept nervously thrumming against the handle of his broom, as his mate vents his frustrations.

“Greedy ol’ bastard could’ve damn well waited two more fuckin’ days for the shitty Marine escort, but no!” He harshly scrubbs at the floorboards with his mop. 

“Fuckin’ unbelievable! Bootlicker’s the shitty lot of them.” The burly man keeps getting redder in the face by the second.

“ _Oi, oi!_ Tone it down a bit!” The lanky guy hissed hastily at the furious man, turning his head around nervously to make sure no one was nearby. “No pirates have been sighted here in a wh-”

He cuts him off with a scoff, and kicks at the bucket with soapy water at their feet. „Yeah, fuckin‘ great. Just means some fuckin‘ marine scum gets enough money shoved up their shitty asses by some filthy pirates to shut their yappin‘. Justice, my ass.” 

He sees the lanky man cringe at that.

“Oh,” he goads, and throws him incredulous sneer. “Don’t act like it ain’t the damn truth.”

“A-anyways, we ‘bout to reach Loguetown s-soon?” The nervous man hastily adds, but it ends up more of a question than anything. “We get marine escort there-”

Their captain’s voice hollers over the deck, effectively cutting off any further discussion or complaints. 

And Sakura takes this as her cue to sneak back to her base. Head full of new things to mull over.

-x-

_Finally._ Sakura thinks in relief. She rakes a hand through her tangled hair as she steps further into the room.

She carefully inspects the space she’s been dying to enter since day one.

The captain‘s quarters.

Her eyes instantly get pulled to the map, which is splayed openly over the table in the middle of the gaudy cabin. Sakura greedily takes in everything it has to offer, uncertain how much time she has.

The good news is, the captain and navigator had been meticulous in their work, they kept track of the whole route and islands used to stock up.

She could now roughly locate her island, and the latest update shows where they are heading to; Loguetown- as the sailor had said.

Although, the bad news … she sucks in a sharp breath at that. _Fucking far from home, huh? Far doesn’t even cover it anymore. You‘ve got to be kidding me._

If anything, the situation was just getting worse and the implications were getting more real. It filled her with spiraling dizziness. With a rough shake of her head, she pulls out her trusty notebook. _It’s not the time._

A rough sketch of the map later and a few books from the stuffed bookshelf in her pocket, Sakura is out and about again. Without anyone being the wiser.

-x-

A few days went by like this. Sneaking books and food to fill the day, she tries to make sense of the world around her, without losing it. 

There is no way around it, she’d have to make do with whatever lays ahead of her and persevere. 

Until she knew for sure.

-x-

Excitement ripples through the crew and passengers at the Captains announcement.

Joyous shouts ring across the deck and the men take up their tasks with a renewed vigor. It had instantly changed the mood of the men, and the cold edge of fear had left their eyes. 

Due to the current change of wind, they are now under full sail and will come up to the port of Loguetown in under a day's time.

She feels her shoulders sag in response to the amazing news, like a heavy weight has been lifted. The prospect of finding her feet again … the feeling was just invaluable to her.

A tentative smile pulls at her chapped lips and she sticks her nose into the salty breeze. 

-x-

The clear starry sky stretched on endlessly over their heads. Everything past the flickering lights on the railings is lost to the oppressive darkness of the night.

The meal that evening was equally festive as the mood of the crew. Light chatter and laughter rang through the air as lots of delicious smelling food was devoured. 

They quieted down considerably by the time their bellies were full and they were well into their liquor. _Maybe the exhaustion had finally caught up to them?_ She wonders.

Only the sound of clinking bottles and shuffling feet could be heard now.

Then, four of the men started up a deep, haunting chant.*

It reverberated right through her bones. 

And the ethereal humming, that still niggled at the farthest corner of her mind, seemed to pick up in pace, more enthralled to join in than anything else.

The young woman leans back against the wooden barrel and listens. Her cozy nook is on one of the higher decks and effectively hidden from wandering eyes. 

She allows their ensnaring voices to wash over her and lets her mind drift with the rhythmic crashing of the wave. 

They switch the tune to something more light-hearted; others join in, they clap and stomp along until it all dissolves into drunken laughter again.

She stretches out her legs only to immediately tuck them in right back under her sturdy cloak with a shudder. Sakura pressed her cold nose in the well-worn fabric, wrapping it more snugly around herself for warmth. The evening air is quite chilly.

The familiar scent of Konoha’s lush forest invades her thoughts.

It is barely detectable anymore. Her heart clenched painfully.

Instead, the salty smell of the sea now clung to her and the material like an unwanted second skin. It’s washing away a sense of safety she’d never thought she could lose.

She ached for home.

Closing her eyes to the world, Sakura wills time to move just a bit faster.

-x-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho! Time-skip ahead!  
> We're gonna be jumping around a bit, you'll see.  
> I thought about putting in the Lyrics, but then i remember myself always skipping those things while reading. So i didn't.  
> Also, comments are much apreciated :)

**Author's Note:**

> I have [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/greenishivy-nayuta)


End file.
